From word go Broken Dreams tells you in the title that it's going to be an emotional movie that suggests depressing themes. When I first read the title I was prepared for a film that centralised around a broken home or failed relationship, but these genres are merely background noise to the unexpected darker subjects that are tackled within this beautifully executed production.

It may be possible that no one loves Brooklyn more than Jason Cusato, a 35-year old Park Slope movie maker, who makes films about his borough to capture its ever-changing charm.

“I try to make films about the Brooklyn that practically doesn’t exist anymore,” Cusato says. “The borough has changed so much and I want people to remember what it used to be.” Jason Cusato got his start at the School of Visual Arts when he helped to shoot a documentary The Aid to Church in Need about a lower Manhattan congregation.

When his L.A. life and his second marriage fall apart, Frankie Razzini, a guy who likes to roam about, comes back to the Bronx to understand what he had done wrong in the past. In his wallet he carries a picture of his first love, and deep in his soul a bitter remorse, and perhaps a secret. He meets up with his best friend Eddie in the old pub they had once favored and strikes up a conversation with Brenda.

The film gives glimpses of the ways in which the communist government treats the indigenous, the minority and anyone it deems a threat. Shot in nine countries and tackling issues ranging from Islamic fundamentalism to free trade, the film provides a fascinating look at the impact the resource hungry China has on its neighbors. In both Pakistan and Afghanistan, China has been investing in infrastructure and aiding the humanitarian efforts and winning support, while being an abuser of human rights in Tibet and Muslim populated Xinjiang. Nothing is done without an ulterior motive- of Hegemony. In today's interconnected world, China's unprecedented growth and actions affect all of us, and the film offers an opportunity to gain awareness and to view the world differently.

JWB: Where did the inspiration for such a tragically themed story come from?

DC: Well first of all, I wanted to do a character driven story about love, friendship and addiction.  With flawed characters that you could still love, much like our real friends and family.  My co-writer Jeff Wallace is a recovering alcoholic.  A point that he made very clear to me about addiction is that addicts usually hurt the people that love them much more than they hurt themselves.  That was the main message that we wanted to come from the movie.  And also it could be a cautionary tale.

 

This insightful, intelligent documentary which runs just under 59 minutes, is directed by Meghan Shea and co-produced with Michael Rogers. This film is really a video education program. In it, cameras are given to youngsters in 3 schools as disparate as one can image. One of the classes is from Lungtenzampa Middle School in Thimphu, Bhutan, about as far away from the United States as one can get.